January 20, 2017
On a chilly Saturday afternoon on January 20, a group of Delaware Valley MGers met in Sellersville to attend a 3 pm performance of a group called “Lights Out”, a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Tribute Band. Those who arrived early took walks around the small town of Sellersville as well as stopping in at the historic Washington House Restaurant adjacent to the theater.
The Sellersville Theater is a renovated historic movie theater, originally built in 1894.
It has a rich and colorful history that is directly linked to its neighbor, The Washington House. Over 200 years ago, The Washington House began as a small farmhouse built on an ancient Lenni Lenape trail. Owned by Mr. Jan Jenson, it sat on land deeded from William Penn to Mr. Thomas Freame, who transferred 102 acres to Jenson in 1735. The property was later purchased by Samuel Sellers who enlarged the building and made it into a tavern. Henceforth, both the hotel and the town were known as Sellers Tavern. The site became a town center, serving as the first Post Office, hotel and stagecoach stop for the long journey between Bethlehem and Philadelphia. The Theater served as a movie house for many years before being renovated in 2001.
The Tribute Band consisted of a four piece band as well as four performers appearing in front of a sold-out crowd. It was fun to listen and move to rock and roll songs from the past originally performed by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons but also to a rendition of popular songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. The guys on stage were very entertaining and comical especially explaining “clench and thrust” in relation to the high pitched voice of “Frankie”. Watching all the energetic dancing and gyrations on stage brought us all back to a little bit of the rocking past we all enjoyed in our younger days.
Attending the performance were Pat and Patty Cawthorne, Jerry Keller (Lee was ill), Jim and Diane Sanders, Gudie and Wolfgang Fisher, Brian Gumpert and his friend, Peter and Nancy Yaskowski, Bill and Evelyn Webb and Adam and Eva Ilnicki. We thank Eva and Adam for arranging this Blast from the Past!!
— Evelyn Webb